“Overall I just felt it was time for a change,” Schneiderman said. “ ... It was a difficult decision because you put a lot of time and energy into your guys and your program and that’s one of the advantages of operating a small-town basketball team. You have a hand in all different levels, which I very much enjoyed.

“But that also takes time and what I told my guys is, ‘I don’t have the passion and commitment to operate a program the way it needs to be operated.’”

Schneiderman will continue to teach at Forreston Junior/Senior High School and will work toward a master’s degree in educational administration. He intends to keep coaching at the lower levels.

“I’ll be going through a master’s program from Aurora University,” he said. “That’ll start up in July for a two-year program and my coaching days aren’t over.

“I’ll do something at the youth levels and we’ll see if something transpires later on. But for right now, it was time for a change.”

Schneiderman finished 177-85 in nine seasons with the Cardinals, won the NUIC East championships five times, won four regional championships and two sectional crowns.

“We are deeply saddened at the news of Jonathan’s resignation,” Forreston principal Michael Mandzen said in a press release, “but understand he is focused on new challenges and opportunities in his life.”

Athletic director Jim Kann added: “Coach Schneiderman is a class act. He exemplifies a great work ethic on the court and in the classroom. He is a great role model for students and displays a well-balanced outlook on all aspects of his life.”

Schneiderman said he’ll have more time to spend with his wife, Laurie, and 2 1/2-year-old twins Sullivan and Lucy. He said he’ll miss the bond he had with players as their coach.

“Even after nine years, I’ve gone through multiple classes where I’ve known them since they were in third or fourth grade,” Schneiderman said. “There’s no particular class that jumps out at me because we approached the season the same way with strength, conditioning or open gyms as much as we could.”

Schneiderman said he focused most on carrying on the tradition of good Forreston basketball.

“I had a sense of pride and loyalty toward that,” he said. “It was something that sometimes you couldn’t stop thinking about 24/7.